The present invention relates to methods, systems, and materials for utilizing conductive inks and pastes. Silver pastes are currently used for photovoltaic applications, but the feature resolution achieved using silver pastes does not scale well below 50 μm, can damage delicate substrates, and may require thick layers to achieve the necessary conductivity. Applications such as thin-film or substrate photovoltaics, flexible electronics, and sensors may require high feature resolution, high conductivity, and “soft-handling.”